>> >> pushing for progress over the ukrainian cries circumstances secretary of state john kerry is set to resume talks with his russian counterpart as the e.u. looks at sanctions over moscow. >> college exams set to overcome different aspects. >> the town of seatac and a $15

wage hike. >> facebook spending $15 million to buy a drone company to bring the worldwide web to millions of people that don't have access. >> hi there, welcome to al jazeera america. good to have you with us. i'm thomas drayton. let's get you caught up on the headlines. little progress was made during wednesday's high-level meetings on ukraine. foreign ministers from around the world pledged to keep on talking the secretary of state john kerry described the talks in paris as very constructive and the begin of a negotiations. discussions will continue on thursday in rome with russia's foreign minister sergei lavrov. also on thursday e.u. will consider sanctions against moscow. penalties could prove tricky as russia is the biggest supplier of e.u.'s energy, and its

biggest trading partner. >> in ukraine, a confrontation involving a senior u.n. official. armed men threatened to diplomat at gun point. nick schifrin is in sevastopol, and has more on the dramatic developments. >> for nearly an hour inside this cafe they barricaded u.n. envoy robert serry. demonstrators tried to stop us filming. whether at the cafe or airport they denied all access. the same activists blocked the door running serry out of the country. they feel empowered by the arrival of 16,000 troops. with my producer, we asked half

a dozen soldiers and got the same silence. >> can i ask someone a question? he tells me to step away from the car and drive to this base. russian soldiers demanded ukrainians surrender their weapons. they are not to shoot so they block the front gates. anything they could. they successfully sent the russian troops packingment that night a pro-russian mob showed up outside the gates demanding the russian soldiers be let in. russian forcers, with the support of their radical pro-russian supporters are stepping up their aggression. scared and under siege, they

hunkered down and sat in the dark, illuminated bay tv. they told us we couldn't film. so we tried to with an iphone. ukrainian soldiers allowed a dozen soldiers in the base. the soldiers told us it was time to go. that's when things got bad. we decided to, then what happened? . >> the road was blocked with two cars. we stepped out of the car and tried - asked the people to take the cars away. the demand was that we showed them what's on the camera. >> the mob that tried to climb over the bases gates turned their tapes to us. >> they threatened to flip the car over. they started to count down from 10 and that's when we agreed to show them the video. >> do you think the threats were serious? >> had we not complied with the

demands. we had our tyres slash. i believe that they would have torn the car apart. and it could have gotten very ugly. ugly because like outside the cafe, the police were either unable or unwilling to impose any authority. why didn't you do anything while he was being taken away. are you going to answer. is it not your job any more to defend u.n. >> no comment. >> if they do this to a senior diplomat, they can do it to anyone. once again, that was our nick schifrin reporting. american military and political leaders are eager to hammer out a solution to the conflict. as mike viqueira reports, critics say the white house is not doing enough to help. >> after working the phones for days, joint chiefs of staff chairman martin dempsey relayed a message to congress. >> understandably they are concerned, seeking assurance for

security. >> punk tuting that point, the pentagon announced it would send six f-16 fighters to control air space. president obama was on the phone, promoting his domestic agenda, this as the white house came under attack. in an exchange with secretary of defense chuck hagel, john mccain accused the obama administration of being duped. >> it is well-known, it was a massive failure because of our total misreading of our intentions of vladimir putin. >> senator, i said that they were -- >> let me finish my statement. mr putin was not going so see sevastopol go. >> early last week we were well aware of the threats.

we don't accept anything that vladimir putin says as fact. >> russia's move into crimea is a direct result. >> this president has eroded ukrainian president, and this is a moment where president obama will have to leave. >> there are signs when republicans could stand behind the president on diplomatic aid. >> he is working on a bailout package, a bill dealing with sanctions. that could strengthen the president's hand. >> the question now, will europe, which is dependent on russian trade, agree to sanctions? >> does that present a problem in getting the e.u. and the european nations to go along with what secretary of state john kerry wants. >> they have been clear about their willingness and openness to hold officials, whether in ukraine or russia accountable.

that is what the discussion is about. >> the white house has pledged 1 billion in aid including a low guarantee for energy. more on this situation in ukraine throughout the morning. >> israel says it seized a shipment of rockets headed for the gaza strip. its navy dropped a ship in the red see in international waters in the southern-most port. the ship was reportedly carrying dozens of syrian-made weapons. israel's prime minister says the entire operation was organised by iran. >> it was one year ago that venezuela president hugo chavez died of dancer. on wednesday they kicked off a 10-day commemoration of his life. all coming has his successor nicolas maduro faces a country in turmoil. food shortages and high crime sparked protests. pope francis made sweeping

comments about church doctrine. the leader of the world's roman catholics said that a ban on contraception in opposition to gay marriage will remain in place. the pope suggested that the vatican could change course and described it as a practical way to guarantee property rights and health care. the sat college admission exam is getting a makeover. 1.6 million students take the test every year. some sweat over it because in some cases it can make or break on application. >> david shuster reports. >> it's a college administration test. on wednesday the group that oversees the sat announced an overhaul noting problems with the exam and its rival. the president of the college board said the sat would obliterate essays and the penalty for guessing wrong and

obscure vocabulary words. the maths questions will focus narrowly on linear equations, functions and proportional thinking. the college board is sponding to financially challenged students and families frustrated by the unique and costly test preparations. >> it is time for the college board to say in a clear voice the culture and practice of test preparation that now surrounds the administrations exams drives quality and justice. >> and to make the test results easier to evaluate, scores revert to the 1600 scale, with a top score on 800 on map and evidence-based reading and writing. the optional essay will get a separate score. changes will not stop criticism, losing ground to the act.

research shows that high school grades are a better predictor of success than standardized test scores. and a growing number of colleges allowed students to skip the test. providing grades, transcripts and a research paper. the transformation says the college board president is understandable. >> our teachers need time to teach and our students time to practice. maybe so, but the pledge will not do much for those taking the sats or next. the changes will not kick in until 2016. >> the college board says it will offer online tests to help students to can't afford prep classes. >> we are looking at better weather than last week at this time.

especially down her across much of the area where we saw the colder temperatures. the temperatures are 20 to 30 degrees warmer than they were about a week ago. that will stay for the rest of the week. the big problem is all the rain towards the north-west. that means we have the potential of flooding in many areas, not sufficient washington, idaho, and notice how some of the screens get dark. that means that is where the flooding potential is. it will continue through tomorrow. we'll see snow in the higher elevations. for seattle, it will be about average, 53 degrees. rain will continue all the way through the weekend. hopefully by underyou'll get a break in the rain and sun will come out. across the south-west the rain is over, and we go back to the old scenario of bright conditions. for los angeles, the temperature will be about 72 degrees.

that will increase as the ridge of high pressure builds. we think the temperature will go into the low 80s, by the time we get into the weekend. across texas it will be rape-ey. you may see delays into the time fra frame. you may see problems. it will not last the day, it will be a morning event. high temperatures on thursday. 58 degrees for dallas, and we'll see thunder storms on the weekend. by sunday hopefully better conditions then. >> still ahead, the battle over hiking, the minimum age. why some are not keen in following in one small town's footsteps. >> a new breakthrough in h.i.v. aids. the break through with a newborn baby. >> and tabs on congress - accusations the spy agency is facing.

>> welcome back. opening statements began wednesday in the trial of osama bin laden's son-in-law who served as an al qaeda spokesman. he was captured in turkey, brought to the u.s. for a federal trial in new york city. he is charged with conspiring to kill americans following the september it 11 attacks and is pleading not guilty. c.i.a. employees are the targets of internal investigations for spying on the senate investigations committee. c.i.a. officers hacked into computer networks. the computer used when investigating the agency's detention and interrogation program. the c.i.a. and the committee battled over the program. the committee chairwoman confirms the c.i.a.'s inspector general is heading up the investigation. the president is on the road paushing to give the low --

pushing to give the lowest paid workers a race. president obama called on congress to increase the minimum wage, making it $10.10. >> nobody who works full-time should have to raise a family in poverty. that violates a basic sense of who we are. that's why it's time to give america a raise. >> republicans argue raising the minimum wage could cost jobs. mcdonald's says raising the federal raise could hurt the company's bottom line. le company raised the con -- the company raised the concern. the company said it would have to raise prices to offset the wage increase.

>> fast food workers protested nationwide for a rise to $15 per hour. a small town raised the minimum raise to $15. seattle city council is meeting to consider taking the same route. allen schauffler reports some believe it could do more harm than good. >> the $15 debate in the seattle area has been heavy on street theatre. and campaign rhetoric. business owners feel that it's short on quiet reasoned discussion. >> when i hear that it's a done deal, i'm shocked. did seattle really think about this? >> restaurant owner john platt admits he is conflicted and frustrated. he has 20 regular employees, most making less than $15. with 30 hours or more, platt helps with health insurance, something he does because he wants to, not because he has to.

he's for the broader concept of better pay for low end wage earners. in this business the maths of 60% wage hike does not work. >> whatever people's perceptions of wealthy business owners, i'm not that guy. i don't have a big empire. how do i absorb it? >> we raise prices. i'm not ready to go to the staff and say, "sorry, your full-time job is a part-time job", it's not just the for-profit world feeling the pressure. nonprofit social services organizations faces similar choices. >> childcare centres and low income communities will have to close because they can't raise rates to the people they are supporting. >> taxpayers funds will have to

make up the surplus. without financial support a $15 wage could mean service cuts at foodbangs, shelters, mental health programs and more. >> there'll be a ripple affect feating our economy and the quality of life in the city. >> john platt favours a slow approach, raises phased in carefully over several years giving businesses like his time to adjust. he'd like less yelling and acknowledgment that higher prices could be around the corner. >> the businesses are making that money. let's make that pay. like, wow, i feel like we are all in it together and if we pay more, awesome. let's all understand we are all going to have to pay more. everything we buy will cost more money. >> allen schauffler reporting from seattle. the federal minimum wage has not

increased since reaching $7.25 in fine. democrats in congress process to increase it to $10.10. >> the obama administration extended a deadline under the affordable care act. americans will be able to hold on to the plans, that don't comply with the federal health law. consumers have the choice of staying with the plan until 2016. insurance companies will not seek a change. it's the first time they adjusted rules in health plans. >> doctors say a baby born with the aids virus may have had her disease put into remission and possibly cured thanks to early treatment four hours after birth. similar success occurred with another baby a year ago

>> facebook getting into the business of drones, using the robots to help those in underdeveloped parts of the world. >> keeping n.b.a. players cool - the frigid system one team is using to help maintain their ♪

what is this place? where are we? this is where we bring together the fastest internet and the best in entertainment. we call it the x1 entertainment operating system. it looks like the future! we must have encountered a temporal vortex. further analytics are necessary. beam us up. ♪ that's my phone. hey. [ female announcer ] the x1 entertainment operating system,

only from xfinity. tv and internet together like never before. >> welcome back. the riggers of an n.b.a. season are sure to take a toll on players's bodies. 82 games and practices add up and teams are looking for safe ways to get the most out of their athletes. the latest trend is a cold reality. >> elbow's hurt. >> miles plumee of phoenix suns is familiar with the saying no pain, no gain. for him and his team-mates it

has a new meaning because the team is using this, a cryochamber. there's a couple of versions of it. we have a nitrogen tank. the gas comes in, the players in here, and gas circulates around them. usually we get them somewhere around minus 2 understand degrees. or minus 180 if you are in. >> it's like middle of january in your underwear, standing in the snow for 2 minutes. close to that. >> according to sun's head athletic traininger aaron nelson, the major benefit is oxygenated blood, because the body reacts to cold by going into survival mode. >> there we go. blood rushed to the body's core to protect inner organs. >> you have to be mentally

strong. >> after 2.5 minutes the players leave, the blood flows through the body. >> i was scared. our trainer checks your heart and blood pressure and everything. i'm like what is that. he says, "we want to make sure everything is okay." and for the first time i was scared. it's good for your body, especially if you had back to back games. your body can heel faster, recover faster. it gives you strength. >> the deoxygenated blood helps the body. the players that use the cryochamber say they can feel the difference. >> it helps with the recovery and speeding up the metabolism, making sure you get the recovery you need. it heaps that we don't do it all the time. but it is making an impact. >> you feel rejuvenated.

you feel like you have more energy and your legs are not as tired. >> the training philosophy emphasises prevention. it's been positive for the team and those that use the chamber. >> an as ter i had the size of a football field did a fly by of earth, coming by 4:00 pm tuesday. the agency discovered it, saying it passes earth 20 times every year. >> facebook is a global company. millions use it, but not everyone accesses the tech site. we are told more about the venture in "first person." >> titan aerospace makes a drone. in facebook's case the reason they are interested in acquiring

titan aerospace was to use the drones to project internet to the developing world. this is part of facebook's initiative called internet.org, a massive multibillion project involving several large handset makers in the phone and mobile industry, with a goal of helping 5 million people that don't have internet. if it works out facebook wants to build 11,000 of these drones and fly them over africa and other parts of the developing world and beam internet down to the citizens blow, and that would give the people access and possibly free access to basic mobile internet services. the idea is when people get the internet they are able to educate themselves and become more empowered and politically active and learn what they need. the hope is that more people can get onto the internet, they'll

join the knowledge economy and it will grow the product of the world, making the world arrive. people are weary of facebook in terms of privacy, and that it will use the drones for spying on people or malicious usage, but the plan is to be distributing internet. facebook will have to do a good job of mitigating them and help people understand that there's a lot of social good that can come from them buying the company. long-term, if facebook is successful, we'll have more people connected on the internet, we'll learn more from each other and hopefully the world economy will thrive and we'll see fewer people suffering. in the end, if we get more people on the internet, and it be the first experience that the people have, they are likely to become long-term loyal users of facebook. it's good for the company and driven by humanitarian purposes.

the wave of the future. the drops can fly for up to five years. that'll do it for this edition of al jazeera. news at the top of every hour. thanks for >> hi i'm leem lmp an lisa fletcher and you're in the stream. is there a trend towards poverty in the nation's armed forces? >> our digital producer, wajahat ali is here. he's bringing in aou